Seawater systems are commonly used to cool industrial activities that produce heat, such as heat-producing machinery. For example, seawater systems are frequently used to cool engine and engineering equipment on a ship, and seawater systems are also used to cool machinery in power plants and factories located at or near a coastline.
A typical seawater system comprises a seawater intake, a pump, a heat exchanger, and a discharge. The pump is used to draw suction at the seawater intake, and seawater is directed into a heat exchanger where it typically receives heat from another cooling fluid (such as oil, water, or refrigerant) before being discharged back into the sea. Seawater intakes may also be utilized in other applications. For example, where seawater is used as a firefighting agent a seawater intake may draw seawater into a firefighting system or firefighting support system such as a fire main.
One problem known to commonly plague seawater systems is the tendency of the seawater intake to become fouled by the flora and fauna of the sea. When suction is established at a seawater intake, various fish, jellyfish, sea grasses, and other impediments may be drawn into the intake. This fouling of the intake may severely limit seawater flow into the seawater system which, in turn, can lead to potentially catastrophic impacts to systems and machines that rely on seawater for cooling. There is thus a need for improvements in the art of seawater systems to reduce fouling of seawater intakes.